The present invention relates to a hardware configuration, a general packet radio services support node and method for implementing general packet radio services (GPRS) in the Global System for Mobile communications.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is an emerging European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI) standard for a new set of bearer services which augment those services already available for the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications. GPRS is based on end-to-end transfer of packet-mode data among users over the GSM. GPRS requires a packet-mode only overlay network on GSM to provide both point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multipoint (PTM) mobile packet data service.
The underlying network infrastructure for GSM is circuit-switched and voice-band. GPRS adds packet-mode data transfer capability to GSM. The additional capabilities of GPRS allows GSM to support a much larger repertoire of additional mobile services using packet-mode data transfer. This is important since today's users of cellular technology are demanding mobile access to more and more data based services, such as access to the Internet and other information services.
Traffic characteristics of packet-mode data effectively supported by GPRS ranges from intermittent, bursty data transfer, to frequent transmissions of “small” amounts of data, to occasional transmissions of “large” amounts of data. Data transmission is generally considered “bursty” when the interval between successive transmissions greatly exceeds the average transfer delay. “Small” amounts of data, or small message services, are typically those where a few hundred octets at a time are frequently transferred. Transactions consisting of several kilobytes of data occurring at a rate of up to several transactions per hour constitute an example of infrequent transmission of large amounts of data.
As noted, a system for implementing GPRS must support PTP and PTM bearer services, while other GSM services are necessarily point-to-point because of the very nature of the inherently circuit-switched operations in GSM. A GPRS implementation must support both connectionless and connection-oriented network services within the rubric of the PTP services. Possible PTP services might include information retrieval, messaging services, credit card transactions, monitoring and surveillance, internet access, and the like.
All PTM services are based on the capability of sending information from one source to multiple destinations within a single service request. A GPRS implementation should support three categories of PTM services: (i) PTM Multicast, (ii) PTM Group Calls, and (iii) IP Multicast. In a PTM Multicast, a user, or subscriber, may send a message to some or all other subscribers in a specific geographical area. In a Group Call (as defined by ETSI), messages are sent only to those cells that are known to contain specific receivers associated with the call group. An Internet Protocol (IP) Multicast is the standard mechanism by which users belonging to a specific group can exchange messages over an IP protocol suite in GSM. Some possible PTM services might include distribution of news or weather reports, electronic advertisements, and dispatching services associated with fleets of vehicles.
A GPRS implementation must also support applications based on standard protocols for packet-mode data communication. These standards may include interworking procedures with known, or existing, IP and X.25 networks.
An important benefit of GPRS is that radio channels in GPRS are shared between multiple Mobile Stations (MS). Second, multiplexing on the air interface permits efficient support of bursty traffic. Yet another advantage, particularly attractive to subscribers is that a user of GPRS is billed for the amount of information transferred, not the time connected to the system, or the attach time.
As can be seen, the GPRS enhancement to GSM is a significant advancement in cellular communications. Heretofore, however, there are no known implementations of GPRS. GPRS requires both hardware and software additions and modifications to the existing GSM network. A GPRS implementation should be efficient, robust and cost effective.
There is therefore a need in the art for a hardware configuration, general packet radio services support node and method for implementing GPRS over GSM which is efficient, robust and cost effective.